John Krasinski’s acclaimed horror film A Quiet Place was the runaway victor this weekend at the box office, while Black Panther continued its rise up the all-time charts. It’s no secret the first few months of 2018 have been fairly hit or miss in terms of commercial performance. Outside of Marvel’s latest rewriting the record book, most films have struggled to make a significant impact during their respective runs. Things did go on an upwards trajectory last weekend when Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One gave the legendary director his biggest opening in a decade, and fortunately for Hollywood, that resurgence continued.

After debuting at SXSW last month, A Quiet Place generated very positive buzz for its inventive premise and directorial prowess. The horror genre had a banner year in 2017 with numerous hits like Get Out and IT proving there was a strong appetite for well-crafted scares. This weekend, Quiet Place finally opened for the general public, and people came out in full force to see what the hype was all about.

Per Box Office Mojo, A Quiet Place secured the #1 spot this weekend with an impressive $50 million haul. This is a very welcome development for Paramount, as the studio has had rough sledding over the past couple of years. A number of their trademark franchises have lost some luster, and they were in desperate need for a hit. A Quiet Place most definitely is a smashing success, as its $71 million worldwide total far eclipses its tiny $17 million production budget. It wouldn’t be surprising if Paramount looked to make a sequel to their new horror blockbuster.

Elsewhere in the top five, Black Panther came in fourth with $8.4 million to raise its domestic total to $665.3 million. Impressively, it has now cleared Titanic ($659.3 million) and sits in sole possession of third place on the all-time U.S. charts (unadjusted for inflation, of course). It’s likely that is where its incredible run will conclude, as it’s approximately $95.2 million behind another James Cameron behemoth, Avatar. Black Panther has far exceeded expectations, but even T’Challa would be hard-pressed to earn that much at this stage in the game. Business is starting to slow down, and there are some high-profile genre pictures (including Infinity War) on the horizon.

This week’s other wide release, Blockers, had a strong showing in third place, grossing $21.4 million in its first three days. Much like A Quiet Place, the comedy received positive reviews out of SXSW, and the word-of-mouth helped carry it to a solid debut. Blockers has already earned its budget back just from the domestic numbers, so it’s set to be profitable for Universal. Last weekend’s champion, Ready Player One, had a decent hold to make $25 million in its second frame. The sci-fi popcorn flick is now up to $96.9 million domestically. It’s gotten a nice boost from the international markets, as its global total is $391.3 million.

MORE: A Quiet Place Is Practically Guaranteed A Sequel

Source: Box Office Mojo

  • A Quiet Place Release Date: 2018-04-06